ITM Power has confirmed that a £46.5 million grant from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has now been formally awarded.
The funding was first announced in April, alongside a £40 million equity investment from Great British Energy. Together, they underpin the manufacturing capability for ITM’s next-generation Chronos electrolyser stack.
Chronos, developed over more than two years, is expected to deliver a step change in both cost and energy efficiency as green hydrogen is scaled.
The Chronos line is planned for ITM’s existing Sheffield facilities, drawing on infrastructure and production know-how developed over the years on the Trident line. Co-locating the two lines lowers execution risk while still allowing a scalable, high-throughput platform.
The investment is geared towards 1 GW of annual production capacity, with bespoke automated equipment across catalyst-coated membrane production, electrode welding, specialist coatings and stack assembly, plus cleanroom infrastructure. In-house test systems and validation materials round out a plan aimed at a smooth ramp-up.
Dennis Schulz, CEO, said: “We are delighted that the DESNZ grant has now been formally awarded, enabling us to build our next-generation Chronos manufacturing line in Sheffield. Combined with the strategic equity investment from Great British Energy, this marks a pivotal step in establishing us at the centre of the UK’s hydrogen economy and firmly positions us as a natural partner for projects in the UK. Sheffield is recognised as the historic home of steelmaking. We will make it just as famous for hydrogen.”